I visited Canada’s West Coast in September of 2016 and knew I had to return. The locals talked about “Storm Watching” and how it was an epic time on the coast: something that everyone must experience. They spoke of gale force winds with giant swells and crashing waves. I had to see this.
Typically the best time to witness storms in Tofino/Ucluelet is from November through to the end of February. I signed up for a photography workshop in December, right in the heart of storm season. I monitored the weather for a few weeks prior and saw rain, lots of rain. There was even talk of a ‘King Tide’ that was threatening the coast. The makings of a perfect storm. I arrived only to find that mother nature had something very different in mind: a week of beautiful sunny weather without a drop of rain or the promise of a winter storm.
Even without storms the beauty was just as I remembered it: raw and abundant. The West Coast truly has it all: lush green rainforests, rugged rocky shores and beautiful sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see. Dramatic sunrises and sunsets, starry night skies and a plethora of surfers hoping to catch the next big wave. These surfers are dedicated, often out before the sun rises and long after the sun sets. For them, “surfing is life; the rest is details.”
Let’s go explore. Take a deep breath of the ocean air and listen to the crashing waves. Follow me, but be careful, the rocks are slippery.
It’s a pretty awesome place, don’t you think? I still don’t know what it’s like to experience a West Coast storm … but maybe this was mother nature’s way of inviting me back.